Dissertation Submitted in Fulfillment of the Requirements for the M-tech in Public Relations Management Department of Public Relations Management Faculty of Informatics and Design 2013 / This study aims to investigate the selected perceptions of Public Relations Practitioners about the Public Relations Institute of Southern Africa (PRISA) Namibia, in order to recommend to PRISA Namibia ways they can attract membership and gain support and recognition from PR practitioners. This research was conducted through in-depth interviews. The participants in this study were divided into three groups, namely, the members, nonmembers and the Chairperson (current and previous) of PRISA Namibia. A total of 10 participants were interviewed. The results of the study indicate that PR practitioners in Namibia know relatively little about PRISA Namibia activities in Namibia. Most of the Participants are frustrated with PRISA Namibia’s lack of visibility and accessibility. However, most members acknowledged that PRISA Namibia had, in the past, added immense value to their Public Relations (PR) careers. The recommendations of the study include: PRISA Namibia organising conferences or workshops on ethics; PRISA Namibia publishing an ethics booklet that can be used by PR students and professionals to illustrate how practitioners can practically adhere to PRISA code of ethics on a day to day basis; and PRISA Namibia creating social media pages on platforms such as Facebook, Twitter and YouTube.

This study examined allied health and nursing career and technical education (CTE) teacher beliefs and attitudes about reading. Since beliefs and attitudes influence the way teachers teach, it is important to understand what those beliefs and attitudes are, especially in relationship to reading in subject matter classrooms. One hundred twelve individuals responded to a written survey concerning their attitudes and beliefs about reading. A four-factor solution was achieved with a principal components factor analysis. A significant number of variables were associated with the factor labeled Reading Apathy, which appears to be indicative of the condition known as aliteracy among faculty who participated in the study. Professional development activities grounded in novice-to-expert theory are suggested as a way of overcoming the phenomenon. Recommendations for future research involve a more detailed study to further characterize the condition of aliteracy and its impact on student learning.

AIDS-related stigma and mental health professionals.

Despite significant medical advances in HIV treatment, people living with HIV and substance use (PLWH-SU) remain left behind. Compared to people living with HIV (PLWH) without comorbid substance use, PLWH-SU are less likely to engage in medical care and to achieve viral suppression. As a result, PLWH-SU have more frequent preventable hospitalizations, higher rates of viral transmission, and greater morbidity and mortality. Although there is extensive research that explores ways to enhance PLWH-SU’s engagement in HIV care by improving patient-provider interactions, most have focused on the patient, and none have been effective. Grounded in the sociological theory of habitus, this dissertation attended to the medical provider in the patient-provider dyad and aimed to better understand how medical providers’ perceptions and dispositions towards PLWH-SU are formed, and how these perceptions and dispositions are displayed in the ways medical providers interact with and take care of PLWH-SU. Before engaging with habitus, I first conducted a systematic review on how the theory has been used to study medical providers’ clinical practices. Results of the review show that while existing literature has been limited and unclear in its usage of habitus, these studies are informative, and they demonstrate that habitus can be a suitable theoretical foundation for expanding present approaches to research on medical providers’ clinical interactions with PLWH-SU. Following the systematic review, I developed my conceptual framework of medical providers’ treatment habitus (i.e., medical providers’ dispositions towards caring for PLWH-SU) and estimated a typology of treatment habitus using survey data from 258 medical providers in Miami, Florida, Atlanta, Georgia, and the District of Columbia. My analyses show that among this sample of medical providers, there are four types of treatment habitus towards caring for PLWH-SU, and treatment habitus is associated with multi-level factors (e.g., providers’ race, study site, receipt of substance use disorder training). To further explore how medical providers came to develop and how they understand their own treatment habitus, I conducted conversational interviews with 36 medical providers who had completed the abovementioned survey. These interviews revealed medical providers exhibit a spectrum of treatment habitus that is distinguishable by their intentions (person-centered vs. provider-centered) and their methods (informative vs. directive). The interviews also revealed that there are discrepancies in how medical providers spoke about PLWH-SU and how they described their practices towards caring for PLWH-SU. Specifically, although most providers used negative terms to refer to PLWH-SU, the stigmatizing language was almost never accompanied by recollections of stigmatizing behaviors during clinical interactions with PLWH-SU. Taken together, this dissertation expanded on current knowledge about not only how medical providers act when caring for PLWH-SU, but also why they act the ways they do. Findings from this study contribute to an understudied area of HIV and substance use research and provide insights for the development of novel provider-based interventions that can improve the health of this vulnerable and marginalized population.

Malgré le nombre croissant des études sur le lien entre la qualité de l'environnement de travail intérieur et la productivité des employés, les impacts de la connexion à la nature au sein des bureaux sur le bien-être, la satisfaction et la productivité employés demeurent moins étudiés. L'objectif de l'étude est de réaliser une revue de portée des recherches disponibles publiés entre 2015 et 2020 sur les impacts de la biophilie et de la connexion à la nature sur la productivité et le bien-être des employés ainsi que les stratégies mises en œuvre par les entreprises. L'analyse des études montre que de plus en plus d'entreprises mettent en évidence l'intégration des éléments naturels dans l'espace de travail ainsi que leurs avantages en termes de connexion psychologique et de comportements des employés. En outre, il existe des différences selon la qualité spatiale de l'espace de travail, notamment entre les bureaux écologiques classiques et ceux collaboratifs. Cette étude met en lumière la nécessité pour les entreprises de développer des espaces de travail extérieurs naturels en plus des bureaux écologiques classiques. Ce travail met également en évidence les implications pratiques des impacts de la connexion des employés à nature aussi bien pour les occupants, les concepteurs de bureaux écologiques que les gestionnaires. La discussion met également en valeur l'impact de la crise pandémique sur l'aménagement des espaces de travail, l'écologie et le budget des entreprises. / Despite the growth of studies on the link between indoor work environment quality and employee productivity, the impacts of connectedness to nature within offices on employee well-being, satisfaction, and productivity remain less studied. The objective of the study is to conduct a scoping review of available research published between 2015 and 2020 on the impacts of biophilia and connectedness to nature on employee productivity and well-being as well as corporate strategies. The analysis of the studies shows that more and more companies are highlighting the integration of natural elements in the workspace as well as their benefits in terms of psychological connection and employee behaviors. In addition, there are differences in the spatial quality of the workspace, particularly between traditional green offices and coworking offices. This study highlights the need for companies to develop natural outdoor workspaces in addition to traditional green offices. This work also highlights the practical implications of the impacts of employee connection to nature for occupants, green office designers, and managers alike. The discussion also highlights the impact of the pandemic crisis on workspace design, ecology, and corporate budgets.

Tableau d’honneur de la Faculté des études supérieures et postdoctorales, 2009-2010 / Alors que les problèmes de santé mentale ont atteint une apogée en tête de liste des causes d'absentéisme, cette étude vise à décrire les pratiques des supérieurs immédiats en gestion de l'absence et du retour au travail auprès d'employés absents en raison d'un problème de santé mentale. Cette démarche s'est effectuée à l'aide d'une recension des écrits portant sur les connaissances issues des études sur la réintégration professionnelle en santé mentale, les recherches menées auprès de cohortes de travailleurs en absence maladie en raison d'un problème de santé mentale et sur l'incapacité au travail et sur la littérature spécifique au rôle du supérieur immédiat dans le retour au travail. En nous appuyant sur les modèles théoriques de St-Arnaud, (2001), de Karasek, (1990), de Johnson et Hall, (1988), de Baril et Berthelette, (2000), de Durand et Loisel, (2001) ainsi que l'étude de Susan Stock et al., (1999), il a été possible de dégager les dimensions organisationnelle, opérationnelle, relationnelle et de collaboration de la gestion des absences et du retour au travail. Le choix d'une méthodologie d'étude de cas unique a permis un examen détaillé des pratiques des supérieurs. Les données ont été constituées à partir d'entrevues individuelles auprès de huit supérieurs qui ont été codées par thème. Les résultats démontrent une grande variabilité des pratiques de gestion de l'absence et du retour. Le manque d'information sur le motif de l'absence et les facteurs ayant contribué au retrait s'avère un dénominateur commun. Deux trajectoires distinctes de retour au travail émergent: une réintégration dans la fonction initiale et un retour dans un autre service. Dans ce dernier cas, des milieux d'accueil sont choisis en fonction de l'accès à des tâches modérées, du climat de l'équipe et des habiletés du supérieur. Des facteurs organisationnels favorisent l'actualisation des pratiques des supérieurs. Ce sont la mise en place des mesures d'adaptation répondant aux capacités de l'employé notamment le maintien de la personne remplaçante en surnuméraire, le soutien des collègues, la préparation du retour au travail et la décentralisation des décisions. Quant aux obstacles, ils réfèrent au manque de ressources financières, à l'insuffisance des informations sur les motifs ayant contribué au retrait du travail et sur les capacités fonctionnelles de l'employé ainsi qu'au manque de collaboration entre les acteurs impliqués dans le processus de retour au travail. Cette étude rend compte de la nécessité d'outiller et de soutenir les supérieurs immédiats dans l'exercice de leur rôle au plan de la gestion de l'incapacité au travail. Nos résultats vont dans le sens d'une logique systémique de double soutien : le soutien des employés de retour au travail implique le soutien organisationnel des supérieurs immédiats.

Trauma-informed care (TIC) is an approach to service delivery based on the understanding of the prevalence of psychological trauma among service users, knowledge about the impact trauma has on engagement to services, and recognition that service settings can be re-traumatizing. For more than a decade, momentum has been building on this topic. Practitioners are pursuing the knowledge and skills needed to implement trauma-informed service delivery, while organizations are building infrastructure and processes aimed at supporting this approach. Disciplines across many human service sectors are eager to incorporate TIC into policy and practice. Despite this enthusiasm, implementation efforts are slow. Acquiring foundational knowledge about TIC has typically been recommended as a first step when implementing a trauma-informed approach. However, slow progress in implementation suggests knowledge may not be enough. This study investigated the individual characteristics that impact a commitment to TIC, with specific attention to the relationship between foundational knowledge about trauma-informed care and commitment to TIC. Other variables of interest included perceived principal support, TIC self-efficacy, beliefs about trauma and its impact, and organizational strain. Survey data were collected from 118 participants working in mental health, public health, and early childhood. Results from structural equation modeling suggest that foundational knowledge predicts affective commitment to TIC both directly and with the partially mediated paths through principal support, TIC self-efficacy, and beliefs about trauma. Organizational strain does not moderate these effects. However, group differences based on high and low levels of perceived organizational strain were observed and discussed. These findings add to the growing literature on TIC and should be considered as organizations strive to implement TIC.

Service provision in both adult and juvenile correctional settings is an understudied phenomenon. Research has evaluated the use of evidence-based practices (EBP) in the treatment of mental health and substance abuse among adults and juveniles. Young, Farrell, Henderson and Taxman (2009) highlight the role of organizational factors including climate and culture, opportunities for staff training, resources, administrator attitudes and interagency collaboration in the application of EBP in correctional settings. The Oregon Youth Authority (OYA) aims to provide services to youth under the guise of EBP. Literature in the field of juvenile justice is limited in scope in areas of organizational factors, which are likely to influence the allocation of mental health treatment to youth. This study addressed this gap in existing research by using thematic analysis of focus group data with 28 OYA employees representing seven facilities. Data on 594 youth is offered to illustrate the variability of youth characteristics in OYA facilities. Facility data reflective of youth management and operations is presented to suggest context for staff observations and perceptions of how youth are identified for treatment. Results indicate staff knowledge about treatment and consistency in training along with frequency of organizational change affect climates in which treatment recommendations are made. Findings from this study will be beneficial to OYA as they attempt to meet the growing needs of mental health populations and address ongoing changes to agency staff, culture and climate. Implications from this study will contribute to literature on treatment service provision in juvenile correctional settings.

This study examined the perception of managers in the Institute of Public Administration (IPA), Riyadh, Saudi Arabia as to the way public relations is practiced within Saudi Arabia based on a comparison with Grunig's four models of public relations. Out of a population of 38 directors and director generals, 30 participated in a personal interview for a 79 percent response rate.A Q-sort analysis revealed two perceptions of public relations performance in the Institute. Perceptions differed based on educational experience, and managerial levels. Top managers with Ph.Ds tended to view performance as related to Grunig's Press Agentry and One-Way Information models. Fewer level employees saw performance related to the Two-Way Asymmetrical and Symmetrical models. The researcher concluded that the more higher educated level managers had a better understanding of the reality of performance of public relations in IPA. Main attitudes from the sorts of the participants showing a significantly and different attitude in how directors generals and directors perceived public relations was being practiced in the IPA. The directors generals and directors strongly held different views concerning the practice of public relations in the IPA. / Department of Journalism

Archaeological fieldwork at the William Conner House Site, home of an early 19th century entrepreneur, was performed in 1990 by Ball State University. The house, listed in the National Register, was built in 1823, occupied until ca. 1916, restored in 1934, and has since functioned as a house museum. Although restoration disturbed portions of the site, substantial undisturbed remains were found to exist on-site. Archaeological testing yielded 26,000+ archaeological specimens and revealed 22 features, including a possible outbuilding, cobble walk, brick pad, fire pit, small refuse pit, and post holes/molds. Herein, the Conner House is described and the history of its usage is recounted. The archaeological research design and methods are explained. Results of investigation are presented. Socioeconomic status theory and indicators are identified, and the site is compared to other 19th century residential sites, socioeconomically. Conclusions are stated. Sites to which the Conner Site is compared are described in an appendix. A glossary is provided. / Department of Journalism